Gondar

Gondar (also spelled Gonder) is a historic royal city of Ethiopia, in the northern Amhara region. It was the home of many emperors and princesses who ruled the country from the 12th century to the last decade of the 20th century, including Suseneos, Fasiledes, Empress Mentwab, Iyasu I, Tewodros II and Empress Taitu. Leading the list of its attractions is Fasil Ghebbi (the Royal Enclosure), containing several castles and palaces from the 17th and 18th centuries. The city was a battleground in World War II.

By bus

 * There are bus services from Addis Ababa, a trip that takes the whole day. Selam (Dec 2014: 435 birr), Sky Bus and Limalimo (March 2015: 420 birr) companies operate fairly comfortable 'luxury' coaches (bring earplugs for when they play movies).  Minibuses are available that also make the trip in one day; these are more expensive and are usually booked through your hotel.
 * As of January 2018, regular buses do not run out of Bahir Dar. You have to try to catch a seat on one of the buses from Addis. Minibuses that claim to take you to Gonder will instead drop you off near Azezo, about outside of town. Be prepared for an additional 60-80 birr bajaj into Gonder proper.
 * To come from Axum, you must take an afternoon bus to Shire, spend the night there, and take the dawn bus to Gondar. To go to Axum, take the dawn bus to Shire and change there. You can usually get through in a day. The road between Gondar and Shire is one of the most spectacular in Ethiopia.
 * It takes two days to come from Lalibela by bus. Take one of the dawn buses to Gashena and change there to the Bahir Dar bus going west. You can either get off the bus at Nefas Mewcha and take the dawn bus to Gondar the next day, or you can ride it all the way to Bahir Dar and head north to Gondar the next morning. It is possible to travel from Lalibela in one day by bus: go to the bus station just before it opens at 05:30 and ask to go to Gondar. You will need to take a bus to Bahir Dar and change at the major intersection outside Worota (also called Wereta) but the driver will telephone ahead for you and arrange a minibus for those passengers going to Gondar. The minibus may well terminate at Fasilades Bath in Gondar rather than the bus station.
 * To travel to Lalibela, the bus from Gondar to Gashena usually stops for the night in Nefas Mewcha. There are two afternoon buses from Gashena to Lalibela.
 * There are two buses a day from Debark, on the way to the Simien Mountains. These leave around 06:00 and 09:00 in both directions.

Get around

 * The blue and white minibuses run through the city efficiently. There are also some horse drawn taxis called garis. Both are inexpensive.
 * You can contract a small blue coloured taxi for a day or several days during your visit.
 * Tuktuks/bajajs (three-wheeled motor vehicles) are ubiquitous and inexpensive: rides around the city shouldn't cost more than 10 birr -and often should be substantially less- during the day time, and no more than ~25 birr at night (Jan 2015).

See



 * Fasilides' Castle (Fasil Gemb), built in 1640.
 * Iyasu's Palace, the home of Iyasu I, emperor from 1682 to 1706, the son of Yohannes I and grandson of Fasil. An earthquake and bombings by the British destroyed its once ornate and lavish interior, but the structure remains mostly intact and is the largest in the compound.
 * Dawit's Hall, built by Dawit III, emperor from 1716 to 1721 and son of Iyasu.
 * Mentewab's Palace, belonging to Mentewab, empress from 1723 to 1730, the wife of Emperor Bakaffa, Dawit's brother.
 * Mentewab's Palace, belonging to Mentewab, empress from 1723 to 1730, the wife of Emperor Bakaffa, Dawit's brother.

Gorgora
Gorgora is a beautiful small town on the northern shore of Lake Tana about from Gondar. It has some interesting relics from its brief time as Ethiopia's capital, and the lack of tourists adds to their charm. It is also good for bird-watching. There is an early morning bus from Gondar (20 birr) and occasional minibuses.


 * Church of Debre Sina. The inside of this 17th-century thatched-roof church is breathtaking, with every wall adorned with biblical paintings.
 * Monasteries. There are a number of monasteries on the northern part of Lake Tana. Boat hire is best arranged by visiting the Gorgora Port Hotel.

Do

 * Timkat festival, Epiphany, 19 January. Christian celebration with re-enactments of baptism and dancing.

Buy

 * Dashen Bank & Awash Bank has ATMs that accept Mastercard & Visa cards all over the town, one of them at the university.

There is a fairly large market in Gondar, near the bus station, where you can find clothes, spices, etc.

Drink
The pure tej (without sugar - only from honey), tela (korefe, tiru) are the local famous drinks. They are also common throughout Ethiopia, particularly in the Amhara region, although there is some sugar. Factory beers of all kinds are found. It is very common to get Dashen Beer, as Dashen Brewery is in Gondar.

There are bars and clubs with music and dancing on the street running down the slope from Walia Ibex roundabout (with a statue of an ibex in the centre) towards Atse Tewodros Square. The Walya club is on the corner of the ibex roundabout; down the slope there are the Balageru, the Atse Bakafa and others.



Sleep
Prices start at 20 birr for very basic rooms. Timkat in Gondar is the one time and place in Ethiopia when you might really struggle to find a room


 * Meat house is a bar, brothel, butcher, restaurant and hotel with a charming atmosphere. Only 20 birr a night.
 * Roman Hotel. From 60 birr (single self-contained), no water, excellent food, meat during Lent.



Gorgora

 * Gorgora Port Hotel, +251 58 467-0003. Has a relaxed sleepy feel about it. The three bedroom cottages right by the lakeside are highly recommended (300 birr). There are also rooms in the main building single 150 birr, double 190 birr.

Stay safe
There is the occasional scam where a tourist prepays a guide for a Simien Mountain trip and the guide is never seen again. Do not pay cash to guides unless they have a shopfront or you have contacted them after receiving a recommendation from a reliable source!

Go next

 * Bahir Dar – to the south

Simien Mountains are a 3-hour bus journey north of the city. Treks in the mountains can be arranged in Gondar, and you will be approached by many touts offering a wide variety of treks. The advantage of using their services is they may be able to put you in a group of other travellers, which will cut costs, and they can arrange for private transport to and from the park. Tell the touts immediately upon arrival in Gondar that you are looking for a group and they will try to find other tourists. The disadvantage of booking with a tout instead of an agency is that they may put you on a bus to Debark instead of Sankebar (an hour further into the mountains). Make sure you double check with the driver before getting in the car. They can also arrange to drive you to a campsite and pick you up from another, which is useful if you are short of time.

It is also straightforward to arrange everything yourself, and it is certainly cheaper if you aren't splitting the costs with anyone. Debark is the staging point for treks in the Simien Mountains.

Well organised, if expensive, trips to the Simien Mountains can be arranged in Gondar through Seyoum at Explore Abbysinia Travel. His office is underneath the Circle Hotel, facing away from the main road. He can also organise good value guided tours of Gondar, which are worth doing as a guide is effective at warding off unofficial guides and other hassles.

Another option for organized Simien Mountain treks is through Bwahit Travel and Tours run by Ephraim at Fasil Lodge. As mentioned earlier, self-sufficient travelers can independently arrange a tour at the park office in Debark; however given the services (guide, cook, transfers to/from Gondar to the Simien Mountains, etc.) included in the tours organized through Ephraim's company, the prices are virtually the same as if one arranged the same thing independently.

Daytrips to the Simien Mountains from Gondar can also be arranged, but you won't have time to do much other than step out of your 4WD for a few minutes to snap some pictures.